Articles tagged with Behavioral Neuroscience
Research from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine found transient gray matter decline in individuals isolated for extended periods in Antarctica, potentially linked to sleep, exercise, and cognition. The study's findings suggest a possible relationship between prolonged isolation and changes in brain structure.
Researchers at Florida Atlantic University are using a genetically tractable model organism, C. elegans, to dissect the cellular pathways impacted by amphetamines. The study aims to identify novel regulators of dopamine release and genes that mediate amphetamine's effects independently of traditional dopamine mechanisms.
Researchers at the Salk Institute have identified a brain circuit that gives physical pain its emotional tone, revealing a potential target for treating chronic and affective pain conditions. The study found that a group of neurons in the thalamus can mediate the emotional side of pain in mice.
This special collection aims to bring together cutting-edge research on cognitive aging, exploring its cellular and molecular underpinnings, as well as psychosocial and environmental factors. The collection seeks to foster a holistic understanding of how cognitive function changes with age.
A study published in Nature Communications reveals that genetic diversity within groups of fruit flies improves their ability to evade predators and forage more efficiently. The research team identified a key gene, Ptp99A, that regulates group behavior and promotes survival performance.
Researchers found that rats with shorter second digits exhibit stronger sexual behavior, including a preference for female scent and frequent ejaculations. This study reveals the impact of fetal hormone exposure on brain development and highlights the link between body and mind.
Researchers developed a simplified model to explain visual processing in the primary visual cortex, achieving 75% accuracy with fewer layers. The 'minimodels' for individual neurons are just as powerful as large models, providing an accurate and interpretable way to study visual computation.
Researchers pioneer a new AI method to uncover cognitive strategies in decision-making, revealing suboptimal behavioral patterns. The study uses small neural networks to predict animal choices with accuracy comparable to larger neural networks.
Early life exposure to perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) may increase anxiety-related behaviors and memory deficits in male mice. Researchers found that males exposed to higher doses of PFHxA showed mild developmental changes, including decreased activity levels and increased anxiety-like behaviors.
Researchers at OIST introduce a mouse motion capture method using marker-based approach to track high-quality data on complex movements. The method avoids pitfalls associated with smaller animals, enabling detailed studies of neuroscientific and physiological foundations of mouse movement.
Research finds that mild physical activity affects brainstem dopaminergic and noradrenergic neurons, leading to improved executive function. Blink frequency increases in individuals showing cognitive benefits from exercise.
Researchers have discovered two signaling molecules that can reprogram ant duties, mirroring gene-expression patterns found in eusocial naked mole-rats. These findings suggest a convergent molecular mechanism dating back hundreds of millions of years, hinting at the evolutionary depth of social behavior.
Researchers suggest that brains reach a critical state to learn, remember, and think, which can be measured using fMRI technology. This framework offers a new perspective on neurological diseases like Alzheimer's, which disrupt the brain's ability to maintain criticality.
A research team analyzed YouTube videos of sleeping cats to find that two thirds sleep on their left side. This bias is thought to be an evolutionary strategy, favoring the use of the right hemisphere of the brain for spatial awareness and threat processing after waking.
Researchers discovered that exploring environments can encode visual features, speeding up learning when tasks arise. The study found that unsupervised learning occurs even without specific goals or tasks.
A study found that children whose mothers experienced Superstorm Sandy during pregnancy showed distinct brain differences that could affect their emotional development. Prenatal exposure to extreme heat and climate events rewrote critical emotion regulation centers in the developing brain.
A new study by the University of Exeter warns that neuroscience training for teachers can lead to a loss of autonomy and critical thinking. The research found that teachers in Chile who pursued neuroscience training felt it gave them professional legitimacy, but also created pseudo-experts.
Researchers discovered that the brain's retrosplenial cortex (RSC) encodes competing navigation hypotheses in distinct neural activity patterns. These patterns allow animals to choose the correct path despite ambiguity, and can be used to compute how to reach a reward.
A study analyzing over 700,000 Reddit posts on autism reveals recurring topics such as music and social life, showcasing a supportive community that values differences. The research offers a new approach to understanding autism, shifting focus from disability to neurodiversity.
Professor Benedetti's research explores the intersection of genetics, environmental factors, and treatment response in mood disorders. His work has led to breakthroughs in chronotherapeutics and immuno-psychiatry, revealing crucial insights into immune-inflammatory mechanisms and gene variants influencing brain function.
Researchers found that harbour seals can determine their heading from optic flow fields, even in cloudy or opaque water. The team created a gaming challenge for the seals, using particle simulations to show them which direction they were moving in, and found that they consistently chose the correct direction.
A new UCLA Health study found that maternal warmth in early childhood predicts better physical and mental health outcomes for teens by shaping their perceptions of social safety. Children who experience more maternal warmth at age 3 have more positive social safety schemas, leading to improved health outcomes at age 17.
A US study published in Alzheimer's & Dementia found that 37% of dementia cases could be linked to cardiometabolic diseases, with the strongest connection in the South. Hypertension was the leading cause, accounting for 9.6% of cases.
Researchers found that astrocytes transmit signals, revealing new ways the brain processes information. The study provides direct evidence for the real-time action of astrocytes in live brains of fruit flies, suggesting their role in mediating neurophysiology and behavior.
Researchers have gained insights into the brain's locus coeruleus and peri-LC neurons, revealing their role in regulating arousal, attention and response to stress and fear. The study provides a detailed roadmap for studying these key players, potentially opening doors for new treatments for neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders.
A VR flight experience has been shown to reduce both physiological and subjective fear responses to heights. The degree of fear reduction correlates with the extent to which participants felt they could transition to a safe state through self-initiated actions.
Researchers have identified the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) as the basis of emotional inference in animals and humans. In a study published in Nature, Xiaowei Gu and Joshua Johansen found that rats can learn inferred emotions by associating a neutral stimulus with an unpleasant experience.
Researchers found Antarctic krill exhibit a daily rhythm of activity, with increased swimming at night and synchronization with seasonal variations. The internal clock helps krill adapt to extreme polar conditions.
Researchers from the University of Texas at San Antonio discovered a significant link between REM sleep disturbances and increased PTSD severity. The study suggests that targeting REM sleep could be a promising approach for improving PTSD treatment outcomes.
The Simons Collaboration on Ecological Neuroscience (SCENE) is a 10-year program that will support projects aiming to uncover how the world shapes representations in the mind and brain. By integrating sensory and motor information, researchers hope to discover fundamental principles of cognition applicable across species.
Researchers have found that mice can instinctively exhibit rescue-like behavior toward anesthetized conspecifics without prior training or external rewards. Oxytocin neurons in the paraventricular nucleus are activated when detecting distress signals, releasing OXT and coordinating emotional and motor responses.
The AChemS 47th Annual Meeting features cutting-edge research on chemosensory perception, including taste and smell dysfunction in cancer patients and potential associations with learning and memory decline. The conference also highlights the impact of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists on human taste ability.
A study of nearly 11,000 individuals found that men with panic disorder are more vulnerable to developing problematic drinking behaviors than women, potentially due to self-medication. The research highlights the need for sex-specific assessment and intervention strategies in treating comorbid conditions
Researchers studied active and passive touch tasks using virtual reality and EEG to better understand how people with autism process touch. The study found that individuals with autism showed little variation in brain response to active and passive touch, suggesting difficulty predicting consequences of actions.
A novel brain study uncovers the critical role of the HDAC5 enzyme in regulating gene expression and neuronal activity, which can trigger relapse in individuals with substance use disorders. The study highlights a new molecular target for developing novel treatments to reduce relapse risk.
A study published in Science discovered a direct connection between cancer-related inflammation and the loss of motivation characteristic of advanced cancer. Blocking the inflammatory pathway restored motivation in mice with cachexia, suggesting a potential treatment for apathy associated with chronic illnesses.
Researchers at UC Santa Barbara found that fruit fly larvae can detect electric fields and move towards the negative potential. The team localized the sensory neurons responsible for this ability, which could lead to new techniques in bioengineering and research into animal senses.
Researchers discovered that C. elegans worms reconfigure brain cells and peptides to cope with infection, enabling them to survive longer. The study reveals unexpected findings on the role of neurons and neuromodulators in adaptive responses.
Lana Ruvolo Grasser, a Wayne State University assistant professor, has been selected as an Early Career Policy Ambassador (ECPA) by the Society for Neuroscience. She will engage in advocacy initiatives and learn effective strategies to advocate for scientific research and its funding.
Researchers used rhesus monkeys to study neural activity during decision-making processes, revealing that amygdala neurons process probability and magnitude of rewards independently. The study also showed that these cells dynamically integrate information about probability, magnitude, and risk to form the basis for decision-making.
Newborn warty birch caterpillars, just 1-2 mm long, establish tiny territories by producing warning vibrations through their leaves. By beating the leaf tip with their thorax and dragging oar-shaped hairs on their rear end, these teeny creatures outmaneuver intruders and secure their narrow escapes.
Researchers are using smartphones to capture naturalistic data on memory, sleep, and dreams, finding that a single night of sleep influences memory for the events that occurred the day before. Memories following sleep were more vivid, felt temporally closer, and were easier to recall.
A study published in Biological Psychiatry identified the Shisa7 gene as a key driver of heroin addiction. The research team used machine learning to analyze brain tissue from human opioid users and found that modulating this gene's expression influenced heroin-seeking behavior and cognitive flexibility.
Dr. Consuelo Walss-Bass shares her groundbreaking research on schizophrenia, emphasizing the importance of considering both genetic predisposition and environmental factors. She also discusses her work with induced pluripotent stem cells to develop personalized psychiatry and reduce stigma around mental health.
A new review article identifies major themes in AI application to neurosciences, including a 5-fold increase in AI-related publications. The study also notes a surge of over 13-fold in clinical neurology AI-related publications in the past decade.
Researchers studied male mouse brain activity during sex to understand the dynamics of neurotransmitters dopamine and acetylcholine. The study revealed that these chemicals control the progression of sexual behavior, with dopamine release slowing down before quick rise during ejaculation.
Researchers found that lower environmental temperature during pupal development correlates to more synapses and postsynaptic partners in the brain, which affects odor-driven behavior. The study suggests a metabolic theory for brain wiring at different temperatures.
Researchers at University College London found that the brain uses specific patterns of activity, or 'building blocks,' to understand social interactions. These fundamental patterns are thought to represent common interaction patterns across various situations, allowing brains to simplify complex information and make decisions quickly.
A new study from Simon Fraser University found a close link between high social media use and psychiatric disorders involving delusions. Forms of delusions, such as narcissistic personality disorder and body dysmorphic disorder, were the most prevalent types related to high social media use.
Researchers have identified three cell types in the median raphe nucleus that control decisions on perseverance, exploration, and disengagement. These findings may help understand neuropsychiatric conditions such as OCD, autism, and major depressive disorder.
A study published in Biological Psychiatry found that anxiety and apathy lead to different patterns in how people process uncertainty and make decisions. Participants made choices between exploring new options or sticking with familiar ones, revealing distinct computational mechanisms underlying these behaviors.
A study found that long-term cocaine use increases impulsivity in healthy rats, contradicting the belief that high impulsivity predicts cocaine use. This contradicts research on impulsive choice and delay-discounting tasks.
Researchers found that brain connectivity related to cognitive control predicted substance use initiation, while cognitive control behavior did not. Stronger connectivity between the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was associated with delayed substance use onset.
Researchers from the University of Konstanz challenged long-held hypotheses on collective motion in locust swarms, finding that sensory input and neural representations drive movement decisions. Contrary to previous assumptions, alignment with others is not responsible for coordinating collective motion.
A recent study by Janelia researchers found that the striatum and motor cortex collaborate to specify movement parameters, contradicting traditional theories. This discovery sheds light on the role of the striatum in motor control and could lead to better understanding of movement disorders like Parkinson's and Huntington's.
The University of Cincinnati is testing a collaborative care model to provide mental health resources to youth in rural communities. The program uses a tiered approach, starting with school counselors and progressing to licensed therapists and expert telehealth services, aiming to increase access and reduce barriers.
The Center for BrainHealth has established three major new partnerships to enhance its mission to empower people at all ages with science-backed approaches for proactive brain health and fitness. The partnerships include GoMo Health, which will leverage the center's content to expand resources and improve compliance among large patient...
Larval zebrafish rapidly learn to recognize and avoid predator robots in a novel simulation system. The fish's brain utilizes multiple regions, including the noradrenergic system and forebrain, to encode and recall predator avoidance memories.
Research finds that cerebellar serotonin alleviates anxiety-like behavior in mice, suggesting a new treatment approach. The study's findings counter previous ideas and provide insights into the neural circuits driving anxiety.
A global study of 76 countries reveals a significant association between wealth and prosocial behavior, with higher income leading to increased altruistic intentions and reciprocity. The study also found that financial equality could have a strong impact on increasing prosocial attitudes.